Tuesday, July 22nd at 1:00 PM, there will be a showing of Last Breath @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building:
Adventure/Thriller/True Story
Rated PG-13. 1 hour, 33 minutes (2025)
A true story: North Sea deep-sea communication divers battle the raging sea to rescue their crew mate trapped on the ocean‘s bottom with oxygen and time running out. Gripping. Breathtaking. Edge of your seat! Filmed on location. Stars Woody Harrelson.
Thursday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 70. Sunrise is 5:32 and sunset is 8:29, for 14 hours, 58 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 55.2 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Community Development Authority meets at 5:30 PM.
On this day in 1821, the United States takes possession of Florida after the Kingdom of Spain cedes the territory.
Wisconsin will hold her next state supreme court election in April 2026. Incumbent Justice Rebecca Bradley has declared her intention to run, but has not formally entered the race. Although she has several career choices before her, a federal judicial appointment is not (by her choice) one of them:
U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin have sent to President Donald Trump this week five recommendations for filling a vacant seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, but the Trump administration is signaling that it is going its own way in selecting the nominee.
Sources told the Journal Sentinel that Trump officials interviewed a handful of conservative Wisconsin candidates on their own. The interviews occurred before Johnson and Baldwin’s judicial nominating commission, which normally selects candidates for federal judgeships and other positions and forwards them to the White House for consideration, completed its review and submitted candidates’ names.
At least five of the 19 applicants for the position traveled to Washington, D.C., to sit for interviews with White House staff in mid-May, according to multiple sources familiar with the process.
….
Several prominent Wisconsin judges who were expected to vie for the seat didn’t end up applying. Those included state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow and U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig, a Trump appointee.
All three have strong conservative credentials, but multiple sources told the Journal Sentinel that the president wanted to nominate someone who is expected to be on the appellate court for decades. Bradley, Dorow and Ludwig are all 54 years old or older.
Her decision not to seek the federal appointment now leaves Bradley with these options:
Bradley (1) might receive an appointment to the federal bench, (2) might come across a lucrative private sector offer, (3) would have a tough go of reelection, and (4) would sit in the minority on Wisconsin’s high court for at least two more years even if she won re-election in 2026.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with scattered afternoon thunderstorms and a high of 87. Sunrise is 5:31 and sunset is 8:30, for 14 hours, 59 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 66.6 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Parks and Recreation Board meets at 5:30 PM.
On this day in 1945, the Atomic Age begins when the United States successfully detonates a plutonium-based test nuclear weapon near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Winklevoss twins spend big on Bill Berrien, 2026 Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate.
MADISON – Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, founders of cryptocurrency company Gemini and known for their legal dispute with Mark Zuckerberg over the creation of Facebook, donated a total of $1 million to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Berrien, campaign finance reports show.
The twins each donated $500,000 to Berrien’s PAC that he launched earlier this year, which at the time of its launch was characterized as a way to boost GOP candidates through tough election cycles.
The donations accounted for the vast majority of Berrien’s fundraising, which totaled $1.2 million, according to the records.
(This is Kleiber’s second strong story in the same week.)
Here’s what it means:
Out-of-state billionaires seek attention of another out-of-state billionaire. The Winklevoss brothers are seeking Trump’s notice (and so, too, is in-state candidate Berrien).
This attention-seeking isn’t a sign of WISGOP strength; it’s a sign of dependency on one Florida man.
Tuesday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 86. Sunrise is 5:30 and sunset is 8:31, for 15 hours, 1 minute of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 76 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Innovation Center Advisory Panel meets at 8:30 AM. The Whitewater School Board’s Policy Review Committee meets at 4 PM. The Whitewater Common Council meets at 6 PM.
MADISON – Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley is up for reelection in 2026 but did not raise money in the most recent campaign finance reporting period that spans through the end of June, according to state records.
Bradley, a member of the court’s conservative minority, is up for a new 10-year term on the court next year. She has not yet announced whether she will run again.
But in April, Bradley told WisPolitics.com that she planned to run again to “ensure that there is a voice for the constitution and for the rule of law to preserve that in the state of Wisconsin.”
Liberal state Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, who is running for the seat, raised more than $583,000 since she launched her campaign in May, according to her campaign.
Quick assessment on this important reporting about the state’s 2026 high court race:
Bradley (1) might receive an appointment to the federal bench, (2) might come across a lucrative private sector offer, (3) would have a tough go of reelection, and (4) would sit in the minority on Wisconsin’s high court for at least two more years even if she won re-election in 2026.
Monday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 83. Sunrise is 5:29 and sunset is 8:31, for 15 hours, 2 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 85.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Plan & Architectural Review Commission meets at 6 PM.
We are facing the most brazen rollback of civil rights in generations. Whether you’re outraged by attacks on voting rights, the gutting of essential services, disappearances of our neighbors, or the assault on free speech and our right to protest – this movement is for you.
Wildfires have forced evacuations for visitors and staff at two national parks — Gunnison and the Grand Canyon — in the U.S. as the summer monsoon season brings increased lightning to the arid region.
Sunday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 79. Sunrise is 5:28 and sunset is 8:32, for 15 hours, 4 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 92.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Held during the summer of 1956, the Dartmouth workshop is the first conference on artificial intelligence.
Dippin’ Dots—they’re an amusement park, zoo, aquarium and overall summertime staple. The mini balls of ice cream that melt in your mouth are also a childhood favorite. But where did the “ice cream of the future” come from? The answer has a little something to do with cow feed.
Saturday in Whitewater will be sunny in the afternoon with a high of 82. Sunrise is 5:27 and sunset is 8:33, for 15 hours, 5 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 96.7 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
CDC data shows 2025 is now the worst year for measles cases in this country in more than three decades. More than 150 people have been hospitalized due to the growing outbreak and three have died, including two unvaccinated children in Texas. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Dr.. Adam Ratner, author of “Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children’s Health.”
Friday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with evening showers and a high of 84. Sunrise is 5:27 and sunset is 8:33, for 15 hours, 6 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 99.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Wednesday, July 16th at 1:00 PM, there will be a showing of Flow @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building:
Animated film/Family/Adventure
Rated PG; 1 hour, 25 minutes. (2024)
Golden Globe and Oscar winner for Best Animated Film. Latvian: no narration! It plays like a silent movie. You must pay attention to the entire film! In a post-human world, animals lead the way. Engrossing. Haunting. Beautiful.
Thursday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 84. Sunrise is 5:26 and sunset is 8:34, for 15 hours, 8 minutes of daytime. The moon is full with 99.8 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Alcohol Licensing Committee meets at 5:30 PM, and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Commission also meets at 5:30 PM.
On this date General Henry Atkinson and his troops built Fort Koshkonong after being forced backwards from the bog area of the “trembling lands” in their pursuit of Black Hawk. The Fort, later known as Fort Atkinson, was described by Atkinson as “a stockade work flanked by four block houses for the security of our supplies and the accommodation of the sick.” It was also on this date that Atkinson discharged a large number of volunteers from his army in order to decrease stress on a dwindling food supply and to make his force less cumbersome. One of the dismissed volunteers was future president, Abraham Lincoln, whose horse was stolen in Cold Spring, Wisconsin, and was forced to return to New Salem, Illinois by foot and canoe.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new lawsuit seeking to redraw Wisconsin’s congressional district boundary lines was filed on Tuesday, less than two weeks after the state Supreme Court declined to hear a pair of other lawsuits that asked for redistricting before the 2026 election.
The latest lawsuit brought by a bipartisan coalition of business leaders was filed in Dane County circuit court, rather than directly with the state Supreme Court as the rejected cases were. The justices did not give any reason for declining to hear those cases, but typically lawsuits start in a lower court and work their way up.
This new lawsuit’s more lengthy journey through the courts might not be resolved in time to order new maps before the 2026 midterms.
The Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy argue in the new lawsuit that Wisconsin’s congressional maps are unconstitutional because they are an anti-competitive gerrymander. The lawsuit notes that the median margin of victory for candidates in the eight districts since the maps were enacted is close to 30 percentage points.
“Anti-competitive gerrymanders are every bit as antithetical to democracy, and to law, as partisan gerrymanders and racial gerrymanders,” the lawsuit argues. “This is because electoral competition is as vital to democracy as partisan fairness.”
In Japan, bobtail cats are considered good luck and Nagasaki is the place to find them. They are known as “omagari neko (bent-tail cats)” or “kagi neko (hook cats)” and have their own society of admirers and even a dedicated Shinto shrine. Their tails come in varieties including hook-shaped at the tip, curved or in a bun, explained Kazuya Hideshima, a worker at Omagari Neko Shrine and member of the Nagasaki Cat Society.
Past findings have indicated bobtails accounted for nearly 80% of the cats in Nagasaki, twice the occurrence of anywhere else in Japan. Japanese cats are believed to have come from China in the 6th century with Buddhist monks, serving as rat hunters to protect religious scriptures on ships.
Nagasaki residents hope the cats bring in tourists and help business.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 83. Sunrise is 5:25 and sunset is 8:34, for 15 hours, 9 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 98.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
View of Starfish Prime through thin clouds, as seen from Honolulu, 825 miles away. By US Gov – US Gov, Public Domain, Link.
Starfish Prime caused an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that was far larger than expected, so much larger that it drove much of the instrumentation off scale, causing great difficulty in getting accurate measurements. The Starfish Prime electromagnetic pulse also made those effects known to the public by causing electrical damage in Hawaii, about 900 miles (1,450 km) away from the detonation point, knocking out about 300 streetlights, setting off numerous burglar alarms, and damaging a telephone company microwave link. The EMP damage to the microwave link shut down telephone calls from Kauai to the other Hawaiian Islands.
(Citations omitted.)
Less than a month ago, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled unanimously when striking down a law enacted in 2018 that required the Wisconsin Department of Justice to obtain approval from the Joint Finance Committee before settling many civil cases. SeeKaul v. Wisconsin State Legislature, 2025 WI 23, No. 2022AP000790 (June 17, 2025).
Yesterday, the Legislature saw another clawback of its Walker-era authority when Wisconsin’s high court curtailed, in a 4-3 decision, a legislative committee’s power to stop executive agency regulations:
State laws that let a 10-member committee of the Legislature override regulations are unconstitutional, a majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
The ruling hands the administration of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers a victory in an ongoing battle with the Legislature’s Republican leaders.
….
The ruling finds five statutes, granting power to the Legislature’s committee that reviews and periodically suspends administrative rules, violate the Wisconsin Constitution.
Taken together, wrote Chief Justice Jill Karofsky for the four justices making up the Court’s liberal wing, the statutes give the Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules the power to effectively change state laws without going through the full legislative process.
“The ability of a ten-person committee to halt or interrupt the passage of a rule, which would ordinarily be required to be presented to the governor as a bill [to block the rule], is simply incompatible with Articles IV and V of the Wisconsin Constitution,” Karofsky wrote.
….
The Evers administration argued that five statutes granting JCRAR the power to review, object to and block rules before or after they are promulgated violate the state Constitution. Those include a law enacted in December 2018, after Evers was elected governor but before he took office, that allows the committee to lodge “indefinite” objections blocking a rule.
The Court majority agreed with the administration’s argument.
The Wisconsin Constitution requires that for a law to be enacted, it must pass both the Assembly and the Senate and then be presented to the governor to be signed or vetoed.
“By permitting JCRAR to exercise discretion over which approved rules may be promulgated and which may not, the statute empowers JCRAR to take action that alters the legal rights and duties of persons outside of the legislative branch” without going through the lawmaking process, Karofsky wrote.
An email newsletter from the Wisconsin Examiner offers this hysterical, histrionic quote from Sen. Steve Nass:
“The liberal junta on the state supreme court has in essence given Evers the powers of a King.”
– State Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules
A few remarks:
1. These powers of the Legislature (now curtailed) are not ancient rights of the people: they are Walker-era changes that the WISGOP pushed through quickly before Tony Evers first took office.
2. Nass is still a state senator? Bulking up that state pension, right?
3. Nass lists his district as R-Whitewater, but that’s only through part of the Town of Whitewater, not the city proper. Nass doesn’t live in, and would never be elected from, the City of Whitewater.
4. So Trump assumes authoritarian power unto himself, and becomes the subject of No Kings rallies across America, but Nass thinks Gov. Evers — Tony Evers, of all people — now has the essence of royal powers?
5. Nass says it’s a liberal junta that did this? Isn’t this overwrought legislator supposed to be speaking English-only like the native born? A Spanish language borrowing should be of concern to each and every blood-and-soil nativist. I thought Mr. Trump issued an executive order on that very matter.
Perhaps one of them will check Nass’s playlist for Yeri Mua.
Tuesday in Whitewater will see scattered afternoon showers with a high of 82. Sunrise is 5:24 and sunset is 8:35, for 15 hours, 10 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 94.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Public Works Committee meets at 5:15 PM.
On this day in 1776, church bells (possibly including the Liberty Bell) are rung after John Nixon delivers the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
There’s a story today from reporter Baylor Spears about two Democrats running for the 17th Senate District seat that Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) now holds. This post isn’t about the Democrats1 mentioned in that story; it’s about the district in which they’ll be running. Spears reports on the political composition of the district before and after redistricting toward fairer maps:
Marklein won the district with 60% of the vote in 2022, but Senate District 17 changed considerably under the new maps. According to an analysis by John Johnson, a research fellow at Marquette University, the district leaned Democrat by 1 percentage point in the 2024 presidential election and by over 4 percentage points in the 2024 U.S. Senate race.
Sen. Howard Marklein accepted the budget deal with Gov. Evers. He did so because, like other officeholders in the WISGOP, he needed that budget deal if he were to have any hope of remaining an officeholder next year.
The loss of a gerrymandered 60% district to a -1% to -4% district has a way, it seems, of making WISGOP legislators more amenable to compromise. Underlining Marklein’s supposed bipartisanship is little more than a political incumbent’s survival instinct.
